What is the Trial Period?New members aged 18 or older will automatically be given the option of Premium Membership for a "Trial Period". This allows new members to try out much of our feature set.

Premium poem limits, poem audio narration, and Personal Photos are NOT included in the trial period, however. These features require a full subscription, available at Subscribe Now.

Existing members can request a one trial period by sending a PM to Administration.

What does FAQ mean?The FAQ or "Frequently Asked Questions" section contains answers to inquiries that arise routinely. The answers are provided one friendly location, to save you time and making it unecessary to send a Contact form or email to the staff. Most answers are here immediately for you so you won't have to wait for a response.

I want to view poems. Must I be a member?No, you don't have to be a member, however, you will not be able to participate, see all our content, or access all our cool features! Consider what poetry and prose means to you. Consider joining!

I want to post a poem. Must I be a member?Yes, to post your own work you must join. Each member is responsible for their own creative output. Consequently, no one else may post your work or the work of others. To become a member you must meet certain requirements. For example, you must agree to our Terms of Service (TOS) agreement and provide basic, but truthful, information about yourself. You must have a working email address and be at least 13 years old. Consult our TOS for additional requirements.

How do I sign up?You must follow these steps: 1) Identify a unique, working email address. The registration process will not complete unless you provide a this working e-mail address; 2) Click on Join Now or on the left side menu; 3) In the form presented, you are required to fill in all fields marked with an* to continue; 4) Read and understand the legally binding “Terms Of Service”; 5) If you agree to them, put a check mark in the box provided and; 6) Then submit the completed form using the Submit button at bottom.

If the form is filled out successfully, you will automatically be sent an Activation e-mail. Once you receive the e-mail you click on the link provided to activate your account.

I just joined but received no activation email. What do I do now?Activation emails are automatically sent out immediately upon your signup. If you signed up and did not recieve one, the most common reasons are:

1) Our "Activation Email" was intercepted by your spam filter. In this case, check any "Junk Mail" folders which your email service maintains.

2) You may have entered your email address incorrectly on the signup form.

3) Or, your email service may be blocking our emails.

If either 2) or 3) is possible, you will need to notify us by completely filling out the form at Contact Us.

Although we have gone to great lengths to conform to email standards, it is a fact that our mail server may not reach the email servers of certain internet service providers.

If you did not receive an Activation Email from us within 5 minutes of signup, this is a clear indication that we cannot correspond with you at the email address provided. It follows that our help desk may also be unable to send to you either.

So, if you fill out a Contact Form and do not hear from our staff within 24 hours, we recommend that you contact your email service immediately and ask why you cannot receive email from our server (server.creative-poems.com) OR create another account using a different email provider.

I can't get into my account. Is it okay to make another one?Absoutely not!
Making a second account for any reason is a Terms of Service violation. New accounts will be deleted. If you cannot log into your account, see the above FAQ.

If at all possible, we recommend that you stay with your existing account and let us help you resolve any problems and retain your history of contribution and participation.
If you have a problem with an existing account, complete the form at Contact Us, describe the problem or screen, and let us help you resolve it!

Why are we only allowed to have one account?This is a web site where members are recognizable by the unique persona they exhibit through their poems, their comments, and their interaction with other members. These interactions are used to provide each member with useful statistics relating their participation, quality of feedback, number of reads, comments, and their progress.
Any such information will be lost when changing accounts.

Importantly, each member is strictly responsible for their conduct (see the Terms of Service agreement).

For this reason, and to conserve site resources, only one account is provided for each member. If a duplicate, or second, account is found for the same person, the newest account will be deleted in its entirety without notice and the member will face suspension.

Making a second account is never acceptable to solve a problem with accessing an account. Contact the Administration immediately if you are having difficulty or if you must develop another identity for reasons of personal security.

My Password is not working!If you receive the "Sorry, your username/password combination is incorrect." message when logging in, you must do a password recovery using the Forgot Your Password? link or the Forget Username or Password? button just below "Login" in the right pane.
DO NOT REQUEST a password from Administration using the Contact Form. Passwords are encrypted, not visible to our staff, and they are NEVER PROVIDED by our staff. You MUST use the password recovery tools provided.

In order to perform a password recovery, you will need access to the working email address on record with us AND your Security Word. Enter those into the Forgot Your Password? form.

If your email address has become unavailable to you, Adminstration will NOT update your account unless you provide your Security Word.

Neither will Administration provide your complete Security Word, but may offer you a hint to it.

In order to contact Adminstration for either an email change or a hint to your Security Word, you must use the form Contact Us which is also provided on the left pane.

We apologize for any inconvenience resulting from these measures, however, these steps are necessary to prevent someone from masquerading as you and obtaining the credentials to your account.

I'm having LOGIN problems. What should I do?If you just signed up with us for a NEW account, please see the FAQ answers immediately above.

If you are having trouble with an existing account, the following are often responsible:

1) browser cookie problems,

2) Your computer has an inaccuate time/date setting,

3) Performance problems with your local computer,

4) Out-of-date browser software or,

5) You edited your profile and a change in the email address was detected. In such a case your account was automatically deactivated and you were sent an Activation Email.

NO MATTER THE REASON, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MAKE ANOTHER ACCOUNT. Likely the same problem will occur. Such activity is both a waste of resources and a TOS violation. If review of this FAQ does not resolve the problem, then use the Contact Form.

If the last action you performed was to change your profile, you may have changed your email address. In this case your account was automatically deactivated and our site sent you an Activation Email. You must click on the activation link within that to reactivate your account. See the appropriate FAQ below.

For all other cases, follow the following basic steps:
1) Make certain the time/date on your computer is accurate. This can cause your cookie to be ignored.
2) Shut down your browser. Then, with the browser closed, find your internet settings icon and clear your cookies. Or, better still, use your file manager utility to find your Cookies directory and remove our cookie. For example in Windows, use the Internet Options available from Control Panel. Clear the creative-poems cookie and try again.
3) Reboot your computer. Be certain no other applications are running and try again.
4) Make sure your browser is modern. The most recent versions are the ones working the best. Upgrade if possible. Try again.
5) If possible, make sure cookies are enabled and not disabled by your security package.
6) Note exactly what happens when you attempt to log in. Write down any messages received.
7) As a last resort, we recommend that you complete the form at Contact Us, filling out all the fields as completely as possible. It is critical to describe the problem, including information noted above. 8) Look to see if your user name is among the members logged in. Let us know that too! We will get back to you within 24 hours at the email address you provide. 9) Server outages are relatively rare but may be indicated if "mysql errors are observed". In this case, wait until the server operations are restored and try again.

I changed my email address but received no activation email. Now what do I do?Anytime a member changes their email address, two things happen:

1) An "Activation Email" is automatically sent to your new email address and,

2) your account is deactivated.

Until you activate your account using the link in that activation email, your account cannot be accessed. Requesting a new password will not recover the account.

If you did not receive an email from us within 15 minutes or so, our email to you was not be received and your account is deactivated. This indicates that our email server cannot reach your new email address OR the email has been blocked or intercepted by filters on your email account. Be sure and check your spam folder.

Note that your account it is NOT deleted, only temporarily deactivated. If the email did not appear in any of your folders, we recommend that you complete the form at Contact Us and let us know what's happened. We will reset your account so that you can select another email provider OR inquire to your current provider why you cannot receive email from our server (server.creative-poems.com).

What is the 'Terms Of Service Agreement'? The 'Terms Of Service Agreement', or TOS, are the rules by which Creative-Poems members are governed. All applicants must read and agree to the TOS before they are allowed to join the site. The TOS rules apply to one and all, without exception. You may be removed, without notice, from the site for failure to comply with the TOS rules.

Do I have to pay to use the site?No, not to use the most basic site features. As a Free member, you will be able to post and view poems, and comment.

As a Premium member, however, additional features are available. For example, as a Premium member, you can publish more poems per day, incorporate midi's, pictures, audio narrations in your poems, and add extensive HTML into your work. Paid Premium members also have read/write access to Adult content (if 18 or over) and advanced features including tools for group collaboration.

Most importantly, as a Premium subscriber, you directly keep our website vibrant and alive.

We hope you will consider Premium membership. Try a free 30-day trial and then decide!

My account was already Free. Can I get a Trial?If your account was Free before June 30, 2006 and you'd like to try some of the Premium features for a while, let us know using the form at "Contact Us".

In particular, if you're a returning member and haven't tried our features in a while, drop us a line and let us know! We'll hook you up!

Tell me more about Premium membership!As a Free member, you can submit 1 poem per 24 hour period, comment, send messages to members, join the Featured Poetry contest, and manage your profile.

As a Premium member, however, you have access to our full set of features.

We hope you'll agree that the set of features offered to our Premium members is well worth the price.

The best reasons of at all to join, however, are to ensure the future of this wonderful community of writers and support the continued development of new site features!

How much does the Premium Membership cost?Premium membership is priced at $5.00 USD per month (plus a $1.00 service fee per transaction if paid via mail) when paid once each month.

Yearly subscriptions are also available, at a significant discount of $55.00 USD per year when paid in one yearly payment.

We believe you will find the benefits well worth the modest cost!

PayPal is our recommended medium of payment, chosen for security and convenience. Use of PayPal eliminates the need for us to store any financial information.

Alternately, checks and money orders can be sent through the mail. Each such transaction through the Postal Service requires an additional $1.00 fee per transaction.

Checks and money orders are accepted at the P.O. Box in the right pane of our website.

What happens to my Audio and Personal Picture files if my Premium subscription expires?If your Premium membership expires, your Personal Pictures and Audio narration files will be removed after a 15 day grace period.
Naturally, your poems and profile, including your Profile picture, will be unaffected. Since HTML is reserved for Premium members, your existing links will be preserved, however, you will be unable to add or change them.

Explain PayPal Subscriptions! How do they work?Subscription to Creative-Poems are available via PayPal. This is the recommended type of subscription. When you subscribe, you are agreeing to a recurring transfer of funds between your specified account and PayPal, which handles the transactions conveniently and securely. Your Premium membership's expiration date is updated with us each time PayPal is able to complete an automated payment.

When you choose among the subscription options using PayPal, you are selecting how often PayPal will bill you for your subscription. So, if you choose a Monthly subscription, PayPal will deduct $5.00 each month, on the same day of the month. Since PayPal will automatically make this funds transfer, you do not need to remember to make any manual monthly payment. The advantage is that PayPal will remember for you.

Similarly, if you elect a Yearly subscription, PayPal will deduct $55.00 next year from your account on the same day next year.

If for some reason PayPal cannot deduct the funds, it will send you a notice and try again in a few days. After several such consecutive failures, PayPal will stop requesting the transfer and your PayPal subscription service will be cancelled automtically. In that case, no update to your account's Expiration Date will have been made and your Premium subscription with Creative-Poems will elapse automatically at the end of your current subscription period.

Why should I donate?At the current time, Creative-Poems is a free site with no pop ups and a minium amount banner advertizing. Unfortunately, running the site is not free. Donating to the site allows us to add features and maintain a quality site. By donating you support a site that caters to you. It helps minimize the number of advertising banners. Contributor’s names will be listed on the left side of the screen. This allows the contributor’s work to be accessed easily by selecting his name from the list. Contributions should not be confused with Premium Membership fees. The two are completely separate and will be treated as such.

What’s the difference between a donation and Premium Membership?Premium Membership fees and donations are completely separate. As of March 2006, site members are in a "Trial Period" and Premium Memberships are not yet available. When Premium Membership becomes available, you can subscribe by using PayPal, cash, check or charge.

Donations can be made currently by clicking “Click Here to Donate” on the bottom left of the screen.

Where does the money go when you make a donation or join as a premium member?The funds go immediately back into the site to help pay for site hosting costs, licenses, expenses, taxes, and programming necessary to keep the site running an d make modest feature improvments.

Will I ever be asked for personal information such as a phone number or address?No, you will never be asked for such information by staff of Creative-Poems.com. If asked for this information, please notify site Administration immediately by completing the form at Contact Us. Be sure to describe who asked for the information and when.

What is a Writing Group?A "writing group" is uniquely named entity constructed and managed by Premium members for the purposes of creating, editing, maintaining, and displaying works resulting from the deliberate collaboration of the group members. Each writing group has more than a single member and its own group name and group profile. Group Profiles are similar to those of normal site members, having an About section for description of the group, a unique profile picture, member photos, a list of the group's writes, and read statistics.
Each writing group consists of a "group leader" and from some number of writing group members. The group leader is defined as the member who initially creates the writing group, maintains the group profile, and is responsible for "inviting" members to join the group (if the group is an "Invite Only" group). Inviting members is performed through site software. When invited by the leader, the invited member is automatically sent a personal message (PM). Members join the group by accepting the invitation forwared to them. A member can join any number of writing groups.
Several types of writing groups are currently defined, and more will follow. The default type is "Invite Only", in which the group leader sends out invitations and the invited users may elect to join or decline. This type is recommended for formal groups and associations of writers as it offers the greatest control over the editing and publishing process.
A second type of group is the "Ad-Hoc" group. This type is recommended to serve those interested in "free-for-all" or "just for fun" writes. In this case, all qualified members are welcome to join in. When you see poem from an "Ad-Hoc" group, you can click the "group" icon in the upper right of that work and add yourself to that group. Instantly, you be presented with the familiar "pen" edit icon and you click on that and have 30 minutes to make your addition to that ad-hoc write. Members join an "Ad-Hoc" group instantly, without approval by the group leader, and begin to make an immediate contribution by editing and publishing the "Ad-Hoc" group's write. In this case, the group leader is the one initially creating the group and is responsible for maintaining and submitting it to contests if appropriate.

How Do I Post A Collaboration?We encourage our members to collaborate with other members. There are two ways to post collaborations:

1) Work together on the poem and paste it into a poem added by one or both of the participating members. The poem's title should indicate it is a collaboration and name the member or members involved.

2) If both members are Premium subscribers, use the Group Writing tools found in "My Collaboration" to form a group. Invite member or member interested in the collaboration. Once the member joins your group, you can share a draft on our site, making modifications and saves, until you are both satisfied with the work. When each member indicates it is ready for publication, the person starting the group can then publish it. The group poem will then show up automatically in each member's profile and each member will be notified of comments and able to respond to them. This link contains more details:
http://www.creative-poems.com/forum.php?id=1750

How To Add An Audio Narration?If you are a Premium subscriber, you can link a MP3 file, containing your voice, to your poem. To do this, recored your MP3 file, then navigate to My Writings_Manage and edit the poem by choosing the "Pen Icon" corresponding the poem you wish to add the sound file to. Then using the "MP3 File of
your voice:" browse button, navigate and select the MP3 file stored on your local computer. The file will then be uploaded and will be played whenever someone presses the play icon. Remember, sound files cannot be music files not generated by you. They must be voice files of your own creation. There are no exceptions to this rule and your account will be suspended if you upload a file created by someone other than yourself.

How do I add a poem?In order to add a poem you must first become a member (See "How do I sign up?"). Once you are a member you can submit your poetry.

Under the menu "My Writings" in the right pane, you can select "Add Poem". This will open up the WYSIWYG editor and you will be able to begin entry of your poem. First,you will be given the option to select which type of poem you are submitting. Please choose the location for your poem carefully. Failure to do so may result in the poem being moved or possibly deleted. Next,enter the title of your poem. Move to the area where the body the poem is typed and type the poem, as you would like it to appear.

Next, review the poem and all other fields. Review the Agreement and certify that the poem is your own work. Then and only then should you publish the poem using the appropriate button. An option also exists for saving a draft of the work.

We HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you cut and paste the poem from an original file on your computer. We do NOT recommend that you compose your poem using our utilities. We cannot gurantee there will be a loss of connection or malfunction that prevents your poem from getting lost. So, make your poem on your local computer, back it up there, and then paste it into our site using the "Add" utility.

My Poem Looks or Reads Differently from What I Submitted. Why?You must use care to use the appropriate Paste tool when you Paste in from another word processor. You may transfer a variety of special formatting codes into the Poem window. These codes may be understandable to your word processor, but are probably meaningless to our WYSIWYG
editor.

Our WYSIWYG editor filters out special characters that it cannot understand or display, so this filtering process may lead
to changes in format and even to the loss of your text.

If you use our Paste tool within the toolbar, you'll notice
there are three options. If you must transfer formatting information from your word processor, "Paste from Word" has the best chance of making the most successful translation from Microsoft Word. No other editors are supported, at this time, however. So if you aren't using Word, you may not be able to replicate what you see.

"Paste Text" is what we recommend, because your text content is likely to be more important than your text formatting. If you paste into the Poem windo using the "Paste Text" option, all potentially confusing extra formatting characters will be stripped out, leaving you with the basic text of your poem. Once you have this captured, then, you'll be able to use the convenient Text Formatting tools in the WYSIWYG editor to get the result you want.

Again, the latter "Paste Text" approach is recommended because it has the best chance of giving
you total and accurate control of your work's appearance.

Keep in mind also that our site only supports the most popular font styles, so if you've chosen to use special text fonts on your local computer, remember these will probably not be visible to our members.

What is the ‘Authors's Notes' section used for in Poems?The ‘Author's Notes’ section below the poem is a provision to describe the poem if you choose to.It is also the location you use to identify the creator of any item in a poem which is not your own.Remember, you certify everything in the poem is YOUR OWN CREATION as you check the "I Agree" box. Anything not created by you MUST be identified in the 'Author's Notes section.

What kind of poetry can I post?You may post any style or form of poetry that you wish. Letters, messages, and questions for debate purposes are NOT allowed as poems or in a poem's Author's Notes section. All are required to use the Forum to post topics for discussion.

Why is rebuttal not possible to comments?Two reasons. First, authors are not allowed to comment on their own work. Second, we believe there are better venues for rebuttal. Poem comments are regulated according to the TOS rules. We expect that rebuttal via poem comments would hardly ever be useful to resolve issues or satisfy anyone. It is not our wish to moderate any resulting public spectacle. Authors are free to speak their mind and anyone providing comments must do so respectfully. Our site provides private messaging, chat, and a moderated public Forum for discussions between users. Therefore, there is no possibility for a poem's author to post rebuttal to a comment. If you must debate an issue publically, take your discussion to the appropriate Forum. Otherwise, use private messaging as appropriate.

How many poems can I post per day?As a free member your posting limit is one (1) poem in the previous 24 hours (revised 5/20/11). If you are a ‘Premium Member’, your posting limit is increased to eight (8) poems in the previous 24 hours.

In addition, all members may add up to 5 poem drafts per 24 hours, and make these available for public view at a later time.

Why can I not add another poem?If you are a free member, our site code prohibits addition of more than one (1) poem in any 24 hour period (revised 5/20/11). You may upgrade this number to eight (8) with your Premium subscription.

If you enjoy the benefits of our site, we encourage you to participate by supporting it with your subscription. Each poem must be stored for rapid recall on a server running custom software. Additionally, these submission limits prevent any particular author from overloading our noble Moderator's.

If you are running into the appropriate limit for your membership, please consider when you submitted your last poems and try again later! Consider subscribing!

What happened to the Publish Button?If you are editing a poem and do not observe the "Publish" button at the lower right, this is an indication that you are over the publication limit for the prior 24 hours (see questions above). If that is the case, you can only save the poem as a draft and come back later an publish it.

Can poems with symbols to replace letters (# &^*) to cover up swearing be added in categories other than explicit?No they can’t. Even though you may have put **** instead of the profane word, the poem would still be classified as explicit. If it is posted in any other category it will be moved to explicit.

Such tactics are also unacceptable in user profiles.

How do I delete a poem?If you would like to delete a poem,first click on "Manage Poems" Next, find the poem on your list that you wish to remove. The options are listed beside the poem in symbols.(Each symbol is explained below) "Edit", "Delete", "Submit for Featured Poem". Choose "Delete". You will then be asked if you are sure that you want to remove the poem. Click "yes" and the poem will be permanently deleted.

What do the icons stand for in the manage account area?Pen= Edit,
Trash Can = Delete,
Sheet of paper with the + sign = you can add a poem to the display list (for premium members only),
Award Icon= Submit a poem to the Featured Poems contest.

How do I add a poem to' my favorites'?You click on the heart and + icon on top of the poem.Next,you are given the option of letting the member know that you have added their poem as a favorite.Then click“update notifications/delete checked”You can also click if you want to make your‘favorites’list public or keep it private.

How do I change my profile?Below "Miscellaneous"on the right hand side of the screen you will find a button that says"Edit Profile".Click this button and you will be able to modify any part of your profile.(Including your picture)(See "How do I add/change a picture").When finished click"Update profile"and your changes will be saved.Make sure you put your password in where it says enter password here to save changes on your profile.

How do I add/change my Profile photo?To add or change your Profile photo, go to 'Edit Profile' near the bottom of the page is a box that says "Maintain Your Profile Photo". In the box there is 'Browse' button. Select 'browse' and then choose the photo you would like to upload and hit 'OK.' The photo must be .jpg format and no more than 50K in size. Once added, the Administration will be notified. If the graphic is approved by Administration, it will appear at the top of your profile.

Since these files are uploads, all graphics must be created by you or you must have the permission of their creator. Additionally, graphics must be in good taste and appropriate for all ages. Nudity and partial nudity are not allowed.

What is the Personal Photo feature?This option allows for the addition of more photos to your profile.
These photos must be uploaded by you and they are subject to the same rules as the "Personal Photo". That means, these must be original works by you. Otherwise, you must provide us with permission from their owners.
This feature will be reserved for Premium subscribers members only.
(As of April 2006, this feature is not implemented.)

How do I remove a picture?Once a picture has been posted on your profile it can be changed or removed at any time.To remove a photo,go to"Edit Profile" In the box where the selected picture appears you will see the option to:"click here to remove uploaded picture".Click in the box and hit"update profile".Your picture will be permanently removed from your profile. You can add another one at a later date if you choose.

How do I change the visibility of my Birthday in my profile?Go to"Edit Profile". Birthday visibility is controlled by clicking the button for "Private" or "Public" underneath your birthdate. If you select "Public", users will see your age and birthday in your profile. Additionally, on your birthday you will see your name in the "Happy Birthday" list in the lower right of our Home page. If you select "Private", users will not be able to view your birthday, and your name will not show up in the "Happy Birthday" List. When you've made your selection, simply press "Update Profile" and your birthday will be stored.

Note: You are required to maintain your correct birth date in the field provided. Incorrect birthdates are grounds for account deletion and ban.

Am I allowed to make criticisms about poems?Yes. Genuine constructive criticism is welcome and valued. Threatening, offensive, or profane comments are not allowed and will be deleted. Members post their poetry to get honest, valid feedback so honesty is always the best policy!

What is an"explicit poem"?Any poem containing profanity belongs in the Explicit category. Due to the large number of younger members, the Creative-Poems staff will have full discretion as to what is considered "explicit". If a poem is deemed vulgar or profane and is posted in a category other than "explicit" it will be moved to explicit. If you attempt to move the poem back it will be deleted.

Note: Poems containing sexual references must be placed in one of the "Adult" poem categories.

Are swearing or sexually suggestive/explicit statements and pictures allowed in my profile?No, they are not! Remember that profiles are accessible to all users and must, therefore, be kept appropriate for all ages.

What is an Adult poem?Adult poems include explicitly sexual language, images, or audio content, which includes depictions or descriptions of sexual organs, acts, or solicitious behavior. A poem also belongs in an Adult category if it intends or may reasonably create the mental image of such sexual acts, organs, or behavior in the mind of a typical reader.

Why does the “Adult" category require age verification?Age verification is necessary as allowing minors (under the age of 18) to view sexually explicit material is punishable by Federal laws.

Why do moderators move poems to categories other than the one the member has chosen?Poems are moved for many reasons. Moderators have the right to move a poem if it is deemed inappropriately submitted.Poems that are considered explicit will immediately be moved to the"Explicit"section.
If a poem is considered to be inappropriate for the explicit section,i.e., contains threatening comments to another member or violates the “Terms of Service”,it will be removed immediately.A warning may be issued to the member.Poems pertaining to the‘Topic Of The Week’ will be redirected accordingly.

I forgot my password. What do I do?Go to the login box and select"Forget Username or Password".You will be given the option to reset your password.Enter your username in the box provided and press"Retrieve".Your password will be reset and a new password will be sent to the email address you provided at sign up.You can then change your password at any time.

How do I change my password?If you have reset your password and would like to change the one we assigned you or you would simply like to change your old password for security you can do so at any time.

Go to My Account/Edit Profile. At the top of the form you'll see two "New Password" fields. Enter your new password twice, enter the current password at the bottom of the form (the one you last logged in with), and hit the "Save" button. Your new password is then activated.

It is recommended that you choose a password that does not include your name or any other password that can be easily deciphered by reading your profile information. Also, remember that Usernames and Passwords are case sensitive.

I forgot my username, what do I do?Select "Forget Username or Password?" located beneath the login box. Enter your email address (the one you entered when you signed up) in the "Retrieve Username"box and select "Retrieve". Your username will be sent to the email address you provided.

Why is Admin asking for my Security Word?Administration is asking to ensure they are in contact with the actual owner of the account.
Each user enters a Security Word at the time they create an account with Creative-Poems.com. Once entered, this word is unviewable and unchangeable. This is to prevent view by someone who might take over your accountIf you have forgotten your username/password combination, or have been locked-out, and are asking Administration for a reset, you will be required to present your original Security Word. This one way we may ensure we are in contact with the original account owner. No changes to an account will be made without it. There are no exceptions to this practice.

What is the Chat Room?The chat room is a place where members from the site can go to talk with other members in real-time. The same rules apply to the chat room as to any part of the site. You are not allowed to make vulgar, threatening, or discriminating remarks in the chat room. Just remember that the chat room is open to everyone and that includes children.
The chat room has been provided for your convenience. Automated monitoring will remove users for posting spam and remove and/or ban users use of obcenities. Warnings may or may not be given.

What is the “C-Box”?C-Box is an on site chat for premium members only. Inappropriate chat or profanity will result in suspension. (This feature is not activated at this time.)

What is the Forum?The forum is a place where members can post a thread containing either/or general comments,questions,and topics for discussion.Other members share their ideas by giving feedback by posting a response to the original thread.Anyone,including children,may start a new thread or comment on one.Explicit material is not allowed and will be deleted when found.Links are not allowed in the forum.

Does Creative-Poems.com have the right to delete my poems?Yes.Creative-Poems and its staff have the right to delete any poem that violates the‘Terms Of Service’or any applicable copyright law.The first‘TOS’ violation will result in a written warning from the site owner or staff.If a second violation occurs your account may be suspended for a period of time.The length of time shall be determined by the severity of the infraction.In the event that a third violation occurs,you will be banned from the site indefinitely.
Creative-Poems is not responsible or liable for the loss of data.Any account that is inactive for three months will be deleted even if it contains poems.An account that does NOT contain a poem and is inactive for 30 days will be deleted.Please make a copy of EACH poem you post.

Can Creative-Poems.com delete comments?Yes. Creative-Poems and its staff have full discretion over comments posted on the site. If a comment is deemed rude, disrespectful, verbally or sexually explicit, or harassing it will be removed immediately. A warning will be issued to the person who left the comment. Repeated offenses will lead to suspension.

How do I check my stats?Click"Stats"on the menu at the right of your screen.Once the page loads you will be able to see a list of your poems,including the number of times it has been viewed in total,the number of times it's been viewed that week and how many comments each poem has received. You can access the comments by clicking on the number of comments. You will be able to see how many people have added a particular poem to their list of favorite poems and which members have viewed your poems.

How do I check my new comments?If you receive new comments the button that says"comments"in the "My Poems"menu will be in white,bold letters and indicate the number of new comments you have received on each poem title.Click on the ‘comments’button to view the titles of the poems with new comments.Select the poem title to view the new comments on that post.Multiple comments left on any one poem will appear together.

How do I improve commenting on my work?There's probably no single answer.
Most users receive as good as they give here on our site, both in terms of quality and quantity.

Naturally, good writing will attract attention. Frequent and intelligent commenting on the work of others will bring attention to your own profile and collection of work. Polite commenting and comment replies are very important. Try commenting on the work of people who's work most interests you.

The Creative-Poems site provides at least a few tools to help you obtain feedback. Within each poem you can employ the "Critique Preference" setting to let other users know what type of feedback you are looking for. You can use the "Comment Tracker" to keep track how many comments you give and receive. You can use the "Display List" to highlight your own writing on our home page. Frequent entry of poems into our "Featured Poetry Contest" increases your chances of winning and having your work highlighted before other members. Use the Forum to introduce yourself and discuss issues of interest with other members.

What should I do if I get an offensive comment on my poem?Click the"report"button below any comment that you feel is vulgar, threatening,or generally offensive.The comment will automatically be submitted to the staff for review and/or removal.

What should I do if I get an offensive PM?If you receive a private message (PM) that you feel is vulgar, threatening, sexually explicit, or harassing, click "Report offensive message" at the bottom of the PM. The PM will be submitted automatically to the staff for review. Appropriate disciplinary measures will be taken if the message is deemed offensive or forms a pattern of abuse.

What is the ‘Contributors’ list?The ‘Contributors’ list displays the names of the poets that have donated to the site. Clicking on their name in this list will take you directly to the member’s poems. You must donate to be on this list. You do NOT to have to donate to have a featured poem. (See"What is the featured poems list?"). All donations are separate and apart from ‘Premium Membership’ fees.

What is the ‘Featured Poems’ list?The ‘Featured Poems’ list displays ten winning poems for that week. All members are encouraged to participate. Each week members may submit a poem for the ‘Featured Poem Award’. It can be a new poem or any poem selected from the member’s profile. The poems that are submitted will be reviewed and rated by an anonymous panel of judges. Ten poems (5 rhyming and 5 non rhyming) are selected as winners. An achievement award will be posted with each of the winning entries. The title of the poem will be posted in the "Featured Poems" section.

Any member who wins the featured poem award is not permitted to enter again until three weeks have passed. Winning results are not influenced by donations. The raters have no way of knowing the ratings given by other members of the judging panel.

All submissions must be free of the authors name in the body or title of the poem. Any poems with names included anywhere will not be considered and will be automatically disqualified.

Poems are rated in two stages, initially on grammar, spelling, punctuation. The best are then rated on creativity, meaning, and originality. At the end of each week, the system tallies up the ratings on all poems entered and reviewed. The poem with the highest ratings will win.

Ten winners are selected. Winners shall be notified by means of a personal message (PM). The Adult and Explicit categories are excluded from this competition. This makes it possible to include members under the age of 18 in the contest. Administrators and Moderators are not raters.

How Do I Enter the Featured Poetry ContestAll members can submit exactly one poem per week to our contest. The contest opens at noon every Wednesday and closes the following Wednesday, just before noon. To enter a poem to the contest, use Manage to list your collection and select the Contest icon from the row containing your desired selection. Next, you must select the type of poem you are entering. The resulting screen will indicate the success of the process. A poem can only be submitted once and cannot contain your name. Check the forum for the Featured Contest Rules.

When is the deadline for Featured Poem Submission?The only deadline to remember is Wednesday noon, Eastern time (GMT-5). Poems must be entered by that deadline in order to be considered for the awards that would be announced the following Sunday evening.
Poems submitted after the deadline are automatically entered in into the following week's contest. See, it's very simple!
The deadline is necessary to give the two teams of anonymous judges ample time to carefully rate the poems. Check the forum for the Featured Contest Rules.

What are moderators?Moderators are Creative-Poems staff members appointed by the administration.Moderators are responsible for assisting in maintaining the integrity of the site.

What do moderators do?The moderators and the admin assistant share the duties of reviewing everything submitted to the site in order to maintain its integrity.This includes all posts and replies in the forum,moving poems if necessary, and handling infractions of the“TOS”.Moderators issue warnings and suspensions and will answer any questions members may have.The names of the Administrator,Admin Assistant and Moderators are listed on the left(middle)of the screen.

What is the Site's Position On Plagiarism"Plagiarize - To steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source" - Merriam Webster Online.

As the Terms of Service agreement indicates, it is our position that anyone found to be plagiarizing the work of others is immediately eligible for suspension or removal.

This includes, poetry, prose, lyrics, quotes, pictures as well as midi's and all other digital files.

All members are required to identify their sources (e.g., real names of artists, authors, photographers, not nicknames or website links) ANYTIME they use items and/or work that are not their own. Refer to the TOS for the rules. If you are unsure, contact a Moderator or Administrator immediately.

Our intention is to make Creative-Poems.com a place that respects the work of everyone. A site that recognizes those who inspire us. Our website is NOT a home for plagiarists!

Moderators inspect all items for originality. Members are encouraged to report instances of plagiarism. A convenient utility for reporting plagiarised works is provided.

In short, plagiarism will be dealt with strictly by the Administration.

What do the Icons represent?Star:Premium Member,Pawn:Moderator,King crown:Administrator

What do the different colors mean on the member list?The light bolded blue means an Administrator is present.
Dark bolded blue means a Moderator is present.

What do the colors indicate in a member's poem list?Background colors are applied to the poem list contained within a member's profile as a way to indicate whether or not you have viewed each individual poem. If the background is colored white, you have not viewed the poem. If grey, you have already viewed it. A blue background means that the poem was modified since you viewed it.

What are Suspensions? Why are they given? How long are they?The Administrators or a Moderator may issue suspensions. They are necessary when a breach of the "Terms of Service" has occurred. Suspension time may vary depending on the severity of the breach.
A warning may or may not be given to the member on the first infraction. Subsequent warnings may not be given. Suspension is left to the discretion of the Administrators or Moderator and based on the severity of the infraction. The"Terms of Service" are located at the bottom of the screen.
Members opening new accounts to circumvent a suspension will be banned.

What Can I Do If I've Been SuspendedSuspensions are issued as the result of an apparent significant violation of the Terms of Service Agreement. Suspensions are not awarded lightly or without significant investigation.

If, however, you believe you have been treated unfairly, you may appeal to the Administration by completely filling out the form at Contact Us. Provide the facts supporting your position.

If your period of suspension is over, your account will not be automatically reinstated. It is your responsibility to request reinstatement by completing the form at Contact Us.

Reinstatement will not occur if you have made additional accounts during your period of suspension.

You may also be required to abide by additional conditions and a probationary period may follow your reinstatement, during which time your account may be removed without notice.

What does it mean to be banned?When a member is banned they are permanently denied access to Creative-Poems and their work will likely be lost as a result. Such bans occur from repeated violations of the Terms of Service Agreement. Access to all connected members will be denied.

Is my work lost if I get suspended?No your work is not lost. A suspension prevents you from using your account for a reasonable period of time. The length of the suspension is determined by the severity of the infraction (and whether or not it was a re-occurrence) and is assessed by the Administrator or Moderator.

If another account is made by the suspended member it will result in the member being permanently banned.

I feel I'm being harassed or threatened. What should I do?Anytime you receive what you percieve is a threat or harassement via the utilities on Creative-Poems, you should report this this fact using the "Report Offensive Comment" and "Report Offensive PM" buttons. Alternately, use the form provided at "Contact Us" to report the issue.

To help expedite the investigation, it will be helpful to review the "User Conduct" portion of the Terms of Service agreement, and make a note of any parts you have been violated. Include as many specific facts as possible.

It is up to each member to report instances of harassment and threats. Reports will be discreetly investigated.

Do not include events occurring off our site or other facts that we cannot independently verify.

How Do I Post a Tribute?Although there are NO conditions in which you may copy an entire work of someone else's, you may under certain conditions publish a write containing small but significant except(s) of other author's work. The following conditions must be met:

1) The original author and title of the work must be appropriately and unambiguously referenced within the work.
2) The excerpt may consist only of a relatively small portion of the original work (for example, less than 10 lines and less than 20% of the words);
3) You must accompany the excerpt with an interpretation or message, in your own words, that amplifies, discusses, or reflects your own feelings about the message within the excerpt;
4) Your use of the excerpt must not violate other conditions of our Terms of Service agreement, e.g., your use of the excerpt must not violate existing copyright law or subject Creative-Poems to legal challenge;
5) Your use of the original work must qualify as a "fair use" of that work as defined within the DMCA. You may not violate applicable copyright laws governing the original source of the material you copy from;
6) As always, you accept complete and total legal responsibility for use of the excerpted material.

Consult our Terms of Service agreement for additional details or contact our Staff with your questions prior to your post. Posting writes that do not comply with these terms will lead to suspension of your account.

How do I avoid getting my submission removed for copyright infringement?All reported submissions of copyright infringement shall be investigated. The member whom the copyright infringement is filed against will be notified by PM. If proof of copyright infringement is found the post will be removed. If the author of the submission is asked to provide proof of copyright and fails to compy,the posting in question will be removed. A member may not post another author’s work if the original author is not known. Under no circumstances is a member to publish any non-original work in it's entirety. Small portions may only be used if properly referenced and applied creatively. The ‘Author's Notes’ section of the poem is the appropriate location for such references, which must include the real name of the artist or writer.

What is "Random Commenting"?This feature allows you to comment on poems randomly.The same poem will not appear twice so there is no need to worry about doubling up on your comments.You can also submit your poetry for random commenting.

How do I post a poem for "Random Commenting"?If you would like to submit a particular poem or poems for random comments,check the box stating:"Check Here if you would like to add your poem to the random comment bank" BEFORE you submit your poem.If you would like to submit a poem that you have already posted simply follow the directions to"Edit Poem"and check the same box and click"Save Poem."Your poem(s)will now be available for viewing in the"Random Commenting"section.

What is the“Topic of the Week”section?The topic of the week is a section for people to submit poems relating to a specific,displayed topic.For example,if the topic of the week is"Family",you can submit poems about family to be in the category of the"Topic of the Week."Topic of the week is not associated with and should not be confused with the“Featured Poems”contest.

What is the Link Exchange?Our link exchange is a place where you will find links to other poetry sites and poetry workshops.If you would like to exchange links,click on “Exchange Links With Us”under the Link Exchange section.

How do I add a favorite author?Click on the author you like.When you see the heart and+sign,click on that.If you want notification sent,click“update notification/delete checked”.You may also choose to make your‘favorite author’list visible to the public.

What is the cloaking feature?This feature is for premium members only.The member’s name will not appear on the member list while cloaked.

What if someone is bothering me?Any user receiving offensive messages and/or comments has the responsibility to report them to the Administration immediately using the "Report Offensive Poem" or "Report" comment tools.

We can't help you if you don't report the behavior. Review and include in your report, any appropriate descriptions appearing in the "User Conduct" section of the Terms of Service agreement.

If misbehavior is consistently coming from a particular user, this should be reported immediately along with the facts to the Administration using tools just described or using the form at Contact Us.

The Administration will assist you. Appropriate action may include a request for no contact between the users or even immediate suspension for the offending party, depending on the severity of the matter.

Members receiving a request for non-contact with another member must obey that request or be at risk of having their accounts suspended.

Also, see information about the Block feature.

What is the block feature used for?It is used to block other members from contacting you through Personal messages (PM's). Blocks do not keep the user from commenting on your work.

If you feel you are being harassed by another member, immediately contact Administration using the form at Contact Us. Be sure and include who and when.

Can Wysiwyg be turned off?Yes, it can. It is automatically turned off for mobile devices in certain applications. When possible we will provide a selection of editors depending on the specific device used by the member. If you are interested in this capability, drop a line to Admin using the Contact Form.

What is“Draft”?The draft provision is for premium members only.It is useful if you are writing a poem and wish to save it to work on later.Click“Draft Poem”to save it in the incomplete stage and you can start where you left off when you return at a later date.

Can HTML be used by Premium members?Yes,HTML will only work on a premium membership.

What is meant by the number of "Unique Members"?Typically, what is reflected by this numerical value is the total number of distinquishable, different site members who have read a your poem. Each member logging into Creative-Poems.com has a unique identity. Therefore, since any member may read a poem more than once, this number will differ from the total number of times your poem has been read. For example,

Total Poem Views
Members: 77
Unique Members: 40
Guests: 419

These values indicate the poem was viewed a total of 77 times, by 40 distinctly different site members. The difference between this two values indicates that on average, the poem was viewed twice by each member.

The total number of views by non-logged in members and quests in this case, are 419. This number cannot be decomposed further, since tracking of guests is not performed.

" What is live help"?Live help is a on site help, with a live person to help you with any SITE related questions or problems you may be having. Live help is to be used appropriately and for SITE problems/questions only. The people that are helping are not trained to handle personal problems or questions and will not answer any personal problems or questions, same rules as chat apply to live help, no swearing and rudeness will be tolerated suspensions or bannings could be given with or with out warning.

Why is the "Adult" category age restricted?When the owner of this site signed the agreement to become a host, he agreed to follow federal laws and state laws. Breaking that agreement would result in a forced closure of Creative-Poems.com and could result in a fine and or being arrested. Age restrictions are, therefore, for the protection of the website.

Can the age be lowered to view "Adult" posts?No, the age can't be lowered due to the state and Federal laws.

What happens if I were to lie on my profile about my age?If you were to lie about your age on your profile, your account would be suspended and or banned. The site asks for an age to keep our young viewers safe.

What is the "dispute" feature?Since the Moderators and Admins are human sometimes a mistake does happen and a poem may be deleted. If you feel that the poem that was deleted was a mistake and shouldn't have been removed click on the "dispute" and it would be sent to the Admin for a second look to see if a mistake was made. Every poem removed doesn't mean its gone for good, it can be restored back to the way it was before if the Admin finds that the removal was a mistake.

What is the (M) for in the chat room?If you are ever in the chat room and you see a person with (M) to the left of there screen name it means they are a Moderator.

How to become a Moderator?If you are thinking about becoming a Moderator, consult the Opportunity Center Forum thread. There you will be given the few requirements and responsibilities of Moderators. If there are openings, you will find them advertized there with instructions.

How do I delete (or cancel) my account?If you are a subscriber, be sure and cancel your subscription before deleting your Creative-Poems account!

To delete your Creative-Poema account, click on the "Cancel Account" above the "Log Out" on the right hand side of your screen. Be sure and read the warning before you follow the directions to close it. You must be logged in to cancel your account. Note that your account CANNOT BE RESTORED after it has been closed. All poems and other items will be automatically deleted. If you are having problems logging in you can send a cancel account request too contact@creative-poems.com.

How do I cancel my subscription?To cancel your subscription, go to the Upgrade link (http://www.creative-poems.com/upgrade.php) and select the "Unsubscribe" button near the bottom of the page.

It is important that you perform this operation if you plan to cancel your account with us. Otherwise, PayPal will continue to charge your account for your subscription. PayPal has no way to know that your Creative-Poems account exists or not.